Saving with 6abc: Return online purchases for less

We all know we can get great savings by shopping online. but if the item doesn't fit or doesn't work out, the return shipping costs can cancel those savings right out. Now, there's a new solution to that problem.

That solution is a new service called Return Saver. And the concept is simple.

Tom Caporaso of Clarus Marketing explains, "Return Saver is a subscription program focused on returns. So, you pay $49 flat fee for the year, and you get returns on all online transactions. So, shop anywhere, if it doesn't fit, come back to Return Saver , print out a label and drop it off at a FedEx location.

Only about 10% of the top 500 online retailers offer free returns. And many shoppers say they've passed on purchases because of that.

Caporaso says, "It's very much like shopping insurance."

With Return Saver, once you pay the $49 fee, you can make as many returns as you need to over the course of a year -- as long as you're shipping to a commercial address. And there are size limits.

He explains, "There is somewhat of a cap, but you can essentially send 10 bowling balls from Connecticut to California and not have any issue at all."

Caporaso says the average return costs about $12-$14 to ship, so the average Return Saver subscriber breaks even after about four returns. "It's a peace of mind for the consumer that says I'm going to buy more and worry less."